John Gould Fletcher, celebrated Arkansas poetJohn Gould Fletcher had a privileged but sheltered upbringing in Little Rock at the end of the nineteenth century and became one of the nation’s most celebrated poets of all time. Though a gifted writer, his path would be a tortured one. Fletcher had received critical praise for the early works he published as he toured Europe in the years before World War I. After the war, he returned to the United States and met his greatest successes as a w...

Medical Directory 2016-2017 submissions requestedOur annual Medical Directory is in the planning stages and we are asking area medical professionals to provide us with any updates to your listing. Information such as phone number updates, location changes or staff changes should be included. The directory is the most comprehensive medical reference in the River Valley and we want it to be as accurate as possible. Look for information in upcoming editions of The Courier or contact us for adve...

Bookcases truly a community projectCONWAY — When it comes to long-range and eternal consequences, the most rewarding thing I have ever been involved in is the Conway Bookcase Project. This is because children being reared in low-income families who learn to read because of our efforts will not only have a better chance at a life of success, but it may also save their lives. These children will hopefully have a better standard of living and rise above the culture of drugs, destr...

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BY JIM DAVIDSON columnThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Do you believe in magic?I am starting to believe there is something to the superstitions many coaches cling to. Baseball is famous for its superstitions — from the Curse of the Bambino, to players performing complicated routines before stepping up to the plate or refusing to change their socks after a win. Superstitions aren't isolated to baseball though. Former Russellville head basketball coach Codey Mann, for example, drank the same type of soda during every game,...

The early life of poet John Gould FletcherThe poetic souls in our lives often see the beauty and rhythms of the world. They will strain to listen to those hidden symphonies of nature or human life. Sometimes they will be inspired to put pen to paper or brush to canvas for the whole world to see, and if society is fortunate, to the enrichment of all. Arkansas native John Gould Fletcher was one such figure, a poet who saw the beauty in the world and was celebrated for his contribution t...

River Valley Rewind (May 25, 2016)Reprinted from a 1974 edition of the Courier-Democrat. River Valley rewind MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD is presented to Charles “Chuck” Gordon (right) by George Jackson, outgoing Russellville Chamber of Commerce president. Gordon led the 1973 C of C “Lifesavers” Committee in signing up new members.

Best of Best winners to be announced SundayAnd the winners are... The Courier will feature two 32-page Best of Best-Reader's Choice sections this Sunday announcing all the winners. Due to the overwhelming response this year we're publishing our largest section(s) ever, 64 pages total. We've made it easy to look for your favorite category by publishing two sections which coincide with each ballot, #1 and #2, pretty simple, right? Thanks to all our readers who voted and congratulations t...

Thaddeus Caraway, half of the famous political duoThaddeus Caraway was a quiet and persistent worker his whole life. Through this, he became an important voice for reform in the early 1900s. Caraway was born in 1871 on a farm near Springhill, Missouri, in the southeastern corner of the state. In 1883, the family moved to Clay County, Arkansas, just over the state line, as his father started a new farm. Once he graduated high school, Caraway attended the now-defunct Dickson College in central ...

Childhood memories of Chow-Chow and sweet dreamsMama helped Daddy in the store while I was young. The store was on the other end of the acre where our house was located. Willie Mae stayed with me during weekdays, but Mama often worked late at the store. Especially on Friday and Saturday nights when country people came in to “trade.” On those nights, I went across the street to Miss Dora’s and Jim’s house. Miss Dora was a wonderful cook. I loved her rice pudding with raisins, cinnamon and nu...

The research of Margaret Pittman, part twoDr. Margaret Pittman was one of the great scientific minds of the past century. While she helped create vaccines for three diseases that once left millions dead in their wakes, the Arkansan accomplished much more. She had risen steadily from her roots in Washington County to becoming a school teacher, principal, and eventually acclaimed research biologist. She started working at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, DC, in 1936, in ...

Your right to know"Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter". - Thomas Jefferson - 1787 Thomas Jefferson may have referred to newspapers as the government watchdog but don't forget, as a citizen you have every right to ask officials for records dealing with government business - taxpayer business. So, if you have questions about wha...

TV Weekly gets upgradeFor some time now readers have asked us to include satellite and ArkWest channels in our Sunday TV Book. Well, it's finally here! Launched last month TV Weekly now includes channels for all area providers. Here's how it works: At the top of each channel grid is a legend for the providers, AR = ArkWest, DN = Dish Network for example. On the right side of the grid are the corresponding channels. Suddenlink channels are still listed on the left o...

Arkansas scientist, Dr. Margaret PittmanThe 20th Century opened a door for innovation in science and technology. Great minds steadily unlocked the mysteries of the world and made life better for countless people. One of those great minds was Arkansas research scientist Dr. Margaret Pittman, a woman whose research has helped save millions of lives. Pittman was born in Washington Grove in Northwest Arkansas in 1901. Her father, Dr. James Pittman, was a respected physician in Washingto...

A tribute to my long-time friend Willie MaeShe never wore a lacy cap. She never wore a ruffled white apron over a black uniform with matching shoes because she wasn’t a real maid. Instead, she wore dresses she had sewn herself from feed sacks and navy felt house shoes when her corns "got to botherin." She was a heavyset woman with a large lap and bosom to cradle my head and she always smelled of Faultless Starch. I thought it was the best smell in the world. Her name was Willie Mae. Sh...

2016 Graduation Section coming this SundayArea High School graduates will be represented in their own special section in The Courier this Sunday May 8. The 20-page section is sure to be a keepsake if you have a senior graduating this year. Extra copies of the section will be available at our office.

Veron Seay made the world a better placeVeron Seay was not a woman people will read about in the history books. She was not famous, but she was the kind of person that the world was better for having around. She was born Lois Veron Harris in 1927 in Ragtown, Texas, a small community of farmers just outside Paris. She had an older brother, Gaylon, who died when he was five, and a younger sister, LaFay. The family later moved further west to Wichita Falls when she was young in hopes o...

RussVegas runners, did we spot you?The RussVegas half marathon was, by all accounts a huge success. If you didn't win you can't blame the weather, it was perfect for a run through our fair city. Our photographers were out trying to capture as many faces as they could, so make a point to go to our photo gallery and see if we spotted you.

Man upset over soupNo soup for this guy. A Texas lawyer upset he wasn’t provided a cup of soup during a recent meal notified a restaurant owner he’ll sue if not reimbursed the $2.25 for the soup. Dwain Downing also is seeking $250 in attorney fees for the time spent drafting a letter sent to Benji Arslanovski, who operates Our Place Restaurant in the Fort Worth suburb of Mansfield. Downing said the soup was listed on the menu as part of a Saturday special. He sa...

Tom and Bettie - A Love StoryEarlier, I shared with you our grief at the death of our brother-in-law on Jan. 4. Later, I happened to tell his and my sister-in-law’s story to a few readers and to a group of neighbors. All agreed it was a remarkable one they believed many women would enjoy, so here it is in my column... Tom Bailey loved birthday celebrations – especially when he was the one doing the planning. In fact, this is how he first met Bettie, Freemon’s only sibling...